The University of Chicago has established the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics to meet the challenges of achieving a molecular-level understanding of the structure, diversity and function of biological entities. The Institute represents new approach to scientific research at the interface between biology and the physical sciences, bringing together experimentalists, theoreticians, and computational scientists to forge a scientific culture of fluid exchange of ideas and collaboration across disciplines and among laboratories.

In addition, the Institute has established training programs to involve undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in this new cross-disciplinary approach to science. This culture of interdisciplinary research provides paths for insights developed at the laboratory bench to profoundly influence endeavors as diverse as molecular-based computing and the treatment of illness at the bedside.